The endless belts used for moderate load power transmission application in automobiles, which are more commonly collectively termed fan belts, are constructed of a flexible, tear-resistant polymeric material and are manufactured in countless different sizes to accommodate the varying pulley sizes and spacings therebetween found in the vast number of different models of automobiles sold and driven in the United States and foreign countries. While these endless belts are quite durable, they nevertheless are subjected to a great deal of stress due to their high speed operation and consequently must be periodically replaced. Consequently for a garage to be able to meet the needs of its customers, it is necessary to stock a great deal of different sized belts. This presents a substantial inventory problem to the garage as these belts are of a fixed size and consequently a belt suitable for one make of automobile cannot generally be used in another unless the size requirements are the same. Unfortunately, this is not generally the case.
In addition to having to stock a large inventory of these belts, a garage mechanic must often expend a good deal of labor in securing the belt about the pulleys due to the limited flexibility inherent in such belts and the often encountered awkward positioning of the pulleys with respect to the automobile body presenting the mechanic with restricted access for mounting the belt on the pulleys.
The problems of fixed belt size and installation could be greatly relieved if the belt were either adjustable or of a construction whereby it could be readily assembled to the desired size about the pulleys. One solution to the problems of fixed belt size and installation is found in applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,766 wherein an adjustable belt is provided which can be assembled about the pulleys and thereby facilitate installation while obviating the need for inventory of differently sized belts. That solution employs a belt having a male end of reduced diameter and a female end having a channel therein equal in length to the reduced diameter portion of the male end. To define a belt having the desired size, equal precalculated lengths are severed from both the male and female ends, an adhesive is applied about the male end which is then inserted into the female end of the belt. To avoid any gaps which would otherwise weaken and imbalance the belt, these cuttings have to be carefully made to insure that the length of the reduced diameter portion of the male end is precisely equal to the length of the channel in the female end. The belt of the present invention provides the same ease of installation and adjustability without the need for having to make two such cuts and additionally has superior strength characteristics.